When to Seek Treatment from a Podiatric Physician
You should call a podiatric physician if you have pain in your foot, ankle, or lower leg. Be on the
alert for any abnormal conditions affecting your feet, including a loss of feeling, corns, calluses,
rashes, warts, ulcers, bites, burns, and punctures.
Call your podiatrist if you have a puncture wound, or any foot injury that does not heal, or any pus
from cuts, red spots (even if there is no pain) under corns and calluses, ingrown toenails, or thick
toenails, corns, or calluses that are difficult to care for.
A podiatric physician can also treat injuries to the foot and ankle, including fractures, dislocations,
sprains, cuts, and strain, as well as any deformities such as bunions, hammertoes, painful high
arches, or painful flat feet.
Have your feet examined at least once a year. People with diabetes, arthritis or circulatory
disorders need more frequent podiatric examinations.
Protecting Your Feet
Wear comfortable shoes and clean socks.
Space activities wisely so as to not spend too much time on your feet. People with diabetes may
be more prone to skin and foot problems.
Foot Care
In long-term diabetes, blood circulations to and from the feet decreases, slowing the healing
process for foot injuries. Because the nerves in the feet may not work well, you may not feel small
foot injuries and therefore fail to treat them promptly. Untreated foot injuries can become infected
or ulcerated.
To avoid foot problems, do:
Check your feet daily for red spots, bruises, cuts, blisters, and dryness or cracks in the skin.
Don't forget under and between toes. Press gently and feel for tenderness or hot spots- this may
indicate injury.
Every day, wash your feet with mild soap and dry them thoroughly, especially between the toes.
If the skin on your feet is dry, apply a lanolin base cream (but not between the toes). If your feet
perspire a lot, use talcum powder.
Wear well-fitting, soft shoes and clean socks. Smooth out wrinkles in socks.
Choose new shoes carefully (comfort is more important than style) and break them in slowly.
Avoid foot injuries by wearing shoes or slippers around the house and swim slippers at the beach or pool.
Trim toenails to the contour of the toe. If you can't see them well or reach them easily, have someone do this for you.
Buff calluses with pumice stone.
Keep your feet clean and wear comfotable shoes and socks at all times.
Keep your feet warm.
See a podiatrist (foot specialist) regularly.
When you visit your doctor, make sure he or she checks your feet (socks off).
If you notice any change or sensation in your feet, contact your doctor at once.
Don't:
Soak your feet (this dries out the natural oils).
Cut corns or calluses, or use corn pads or corn medication.
Wear shoes that are too tight or worn out, or round garters or tight socks that cut off circulation.
First Aid for Foot Injuries
You may feel no pain when you injure your foot, but that doesn't mean you can ignore the injury.
Wash the injury with mild soap and dry thoroughly. Then apply mild anitseptic (for example,
Polysporin ointment). Do not use iodine, Epsom salts, or boric acid. If a bandage is necessary,
use a small gauze pad and non-allergic tape (regular tape can irritate your skin). Rest with the
injured foot up for 20 minutes several times a day.
Some Facts on Shoes
High Heels
Wearing high heels on a daily basis can shorten the achilles tendon, change your natural walk,
and make your foot unstable, and cause problems including corns, calluses, hammertoes, bunions,
and pain in the ball of your foot. Wearing high heels for long periods of time can also cause pain in
If you must wear high heels, try to change your heel heights often. Consider wearing low-heeled
sneakers or athletic shoes when you walk more than a few blocks.
Fitting Shoes
Shoes protect your feet from cold, injury, disease, and pounding on hard walking surfaces. For
healthy, comfortable feet, choose your shoes carefully to make sure they fit well.
Shoes should feel good when you try them on. Never assume that a "break in" period will
correct shoes that pinch or rub.
Feet tend to swell during the day, so you should shop for shoes later in the day.
Always have both feet measured. Your feet tend to get a little larger as you get older, and feet
often differ in size from one another. Purchase shoes to fit the larger foot.
Shoes should be about a half-inch longer than your longest toe when you are standing. The toe
area must be wide enough and high enough to fit your foot's natural shape without rubbing.
Make sure that the widest part of your foot will fit comfortably in the widest part of the shoe.
The heel should be snug enough to prevent the shoe from slipping up and down.
Walking Barefoot
You should wear shoes to protect your feet for activities where your feet are at risk of injury. For
example, always wear shoes when playing sports, riding a bicycle, and mowing the lawn. Children
should wear shoes when playing outdoors. People with poor circulation, diabetes, or arthritis who
have reduced feeling in their feet should never walk barefoot. Otherwise, walking barefoot is not
harmful.
Foot Problems
Blisters
Blisters are the fluid-filled pockets that develop beneath the top layer of skin. They are caused
when the skin rubs on shoes or socks.
Your podiatric physician may wish to drain a large, painful blister if it interferes with activity. Since
blisters can easily become infected, you should always let
a physician drain them.
Corns and Calluses
Corns and calluses are common foot complaints. Both are layers of thick, dead, hard skin. Corns
develop on or between the toes, and calluses are found
on the sole or heel of the foot. Both are caused by rubbing
and pressure of the skin against bony areas in your foot.
Many over-the-counter medications contain mild acids that damage healthy tissue along with
corns or calluses. You should be especially careful about using these medications if you have poor
circulation, diabetes, or arthritis. Using over-the-counter medications an take away the symptom but may leave a
serious problem which you cannot detect on your own. It is best to let your podiatric physician
treat your corns and calluses by gentle and precise trimming. Your
podiatric physician can identify and treat the causes of your corns and calluses to prevent their
return.
Heel Pain
Pain in your heel is common and can be a sign of heel spurs, formed
by extra bone buildup where the heel meets the arch. Heel pain can also
be a result of inflammation or irritation due to overuse or injury. Certain
conditions such as diabetes, gout, and arthritis can also cause heel pain.
Your podiatric physician can treat your heel pain in a number of ways.
Treatments include: protective padding and taping, medication, physical
therapy, and the use of prescription orthotic foot supports. Sometimes
surgery is required to remove a heel spur using techniques that require
no hospital stay.
Arch Pain
Arch pain is another common problem. It is usually caused by an inflammation
of the ligament on the bottom of your foot, often the result of fatigue
from prolonged activity and standing.
People with high arch feet and flat feet are especially prone to arch
pain. Wearing poor-fitting or worn out shoes can also result in arch pain.
Better arch support, such as a prescription foot orthosis, can relieve
arch pain.
Athlete's Foot
Athlete's foot is a fungus infection which usually starts between the
toes, where the skin is warm, moist, and dark. It can then spread to other
areas of the foot. Anyone can contract athlete's foot, but it commonly
afflicts adolescents and young to middle-aged adults. Athletes
foot is contagious, you can catch it from contact with bathroom
floors and the floors of public locker rooms.
Symptoms include tiny blisters, itching, burning, and cracked or scaly skin, often between the toes.
Because the broken skin may lead to other infections, you must try to prevent athlete's foot
and treat it when it occurs.
Treatment includes thorough cleaning along with the use of antifungal spray or powder.
Changing shoes and socks frequently can help relieve athlete's foot. If
the condition persists, you should see a podiatric physician.
The Special Problems of Diabetes
Diabetes can lead to poor circulation and reduced feeling in the feet.
This makes diabetics prone to foot infections and injuries.
As a diabetic, you should inspect your feet daily for cuts and cracks, or have someone help you inspect them. It is important to seek treatment
for minor foot problems immediately before they become serious.
Due to the risks associated with diabetes, do not attempt to treat your
own foot problems. You should make regular appointments with a podiatric
physician for inspections and treatment of your feet